My family & I had decided a 24' tri-toon with 150 to 200 hp motor would do everything we want to be able to do and cruise about 35-40 mph I figured they would run around $40 to 50k. We have a family of 6, kids like too ski some, wife & I enjoy the room of a pontoon.

Then I saw in PDB (Pontoon & Deck Boat) where deck boats about
20' long with 115 to 150 hp run 35 to 48 mph and retail around $24 to 26k. Some look like a bow runner and then some have fencing like a pontoon.

I would appreciate some pros and cons on these types of boats, I'm a little confussed now. We will be using on area lakes in Arkansas. Thanks.

i love my pontoon but if it is just going to be 6 of yall then you dont need a ton that big i love the deck boats also. if you like to ski more i would get the deck boat cause skiing behind my pon toon is great but it has no wake to jump. the deck boat that my oncle has is a 21 with a 140 suzuki and it is a great boat. now if your going to load it down and cruise oftend then get the pontoon. i have put 20 people and about 4 icechest in my toon and cruised at 20mph. the deck boat wont like that many people in it.

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We debated between the two and went with the triple toon (2 years old) over the deck boat (2 years old). We like to bring the dog and our son and found the floating living room to be a better fit. It also allows for fishing which I am teaching my son this year.

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This is a pretty biased forum so I don't think you'll find anyone here that would advise a deckboat over a pontoon.

I've long outgrown the thirst for speed and just enjoy cruising on a big roomy platform.

A triple toon with a 150+hp will give you both.

I thought the last edition of the deck v. toon thread was a pretty fair mix. It really depends on what weight you put on your boating activities. If you want the room and comfort of a floating living room, the pontoon is probably the way to go. If performance and watersports are more important, a deck boat would probably suit you better.

Our deckboat can carry 13 pax, but not as comfortably as a pontoon of similiar size. Our deckboat also does 53 mph with me and the admiral onboard. 260 hp makes it a great boat for performance and watersports. It just depends on what is important to you and where you're willing to compromise a bit.

Our deckboat came with the lakehouse so I never had to make the choice.
BTW...My choice would have been a 28' Fountain.

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I researched the pontoon vs. deck boat issue last summer and got the Playcraft Powertoon Xtreme with the Mercruiser 350 MPI.Top speed 52-53 and rides great. I've slalomed behind it and it has plenty of power.However,if you are a serious wakeboarder,a deck boat is going to have a much more defined wake.Your not going to get any air behind a tri-toon.Pontoon boaters are huge gas wasters,this is because they plow through the water and not on top of it.This method is very poor in efficiency and results in poor acceleration and lower top end speed.Most pontoon boats are equipped with an outboard that is underpowered for most people's usage needs.

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I won't repeat what others have said, as their points were all valid (mostly).

We used to have a Hurricane 240 Midships and loved it, for a while. When our lake got real rough, it rode very rough due to the hull design. It got to the point where we couldn't go out on busy weekends due to the pounding. We eventually switched to a triple log pontoon and wonder why we didn't do it years ago.

So if you mainly plan on skiing/wake-boarding and your lakes are fairly calm, go to a deckboat by all means.